This invention pertains to an apparatus and method for the ballistic protection of military vehicle undercarriages which may be vulnerable to the blast effects of explosive devices, such as antivehicular (A/V) mines, shaped charges, and blast mines. As used herein, the term “military vehicle” comprises a variety of armored personnel carriers, tanks, and tactical vehicles.
The belly or underside of these vehicles are manufactured with less protection in this area and are often pierced or otherwise damaged by explosive devices that are deployed on, or slightly below ground level, of a typical battlefield to impede the ground mobility and support capability of an opposing army. An improved apparatus and method for the ballistic protection of military vehicle undercarriages are needed to defeat these explosive devices, especially in view of an ever increasing threat level.
One particular threat is a mine that upwardly launches an explosively formed and propelled projectile into the belly or undercarriage of a target vehicle to either disable the vehicle and/or injure its crew. These mines are commonly known as shaped charge (SC) mines, and include Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP) mines as a subcategory. These mines can forcefully penetrate the armor found on the bottom of most military vehicles; because it is substantially less than the armor used on most vehicle perimeters. It is further recognized that a formed projectile of an EFP mine has a smaller length to diameter ratio than those produced by SC mines which form a thin “jet” stream.
SC mines employ two explosive charges that must fire in a close sequence, or the mine could be ineffective. Thus, the first blast will act as a clearing charge to remove any soil or debris covering the mine. Then, the next blast will cause jet or EFP formation to yield a subsequent penetration capability by said mine for the vehicle undercarriage.
A past strategy for defending against SC mines has been to prevent jet or EFP formation by interrupting soil and/or debris removal by the initial charge. A field-expedient has been developed by tank crews to accomplish this affect. In a first aspect, the protective capability of a vehicle's bottom armor was enhanced by the use of an armor drag plate suspended below the tank and drug along the ground surface. While ingenuity in the field is common for our soldiers, their effort has been met with only mixed results. While this approach has successfully averted jet or EFP formation by its sheer weight, it has also had other vulnerabilities and liabilities.
For example, several mobility problems were encountered with the drag plate approach. The first is the significant resistance of the plate to being dragged along an undulating ground surface which consumes both power and fuel. A second problem is the amount of weight required for the drag plate to prevent soil/debris removal by the initial clearing charge. Ironically in certain circumstances—like when the mine is at or very near the surface—the drag plate may prevent EFP formation, but the explosives can act in such a manner to cause EFP creation in the armor plate itself to thereafter punch through said plate and pierce into the bottom of a vehicle. Moreover, the solid configuration of the plate restricts venting of any explosion or blast effect, thereby exacerbating the effects of blast mines. When all these things are considered, we find that the disadvantages of the drag plate expedient far outweigh its advantages.
I provide herein a method and apparatus to effectively and efficiently prevent EFP formation. My inventive structure incorporates a multitude of small wheels or rollers, within a spatially arranged link chain, to establish a continuous rolling contact with the contours of the ground. This flexible and open matrix structure successfully prevents EFP formation itself, as compared to the efforts of others who rely on the sheer weight of armor plates to disrupt mine sequences. My chain is superior to a drag plate approach because it significantly reduces the forces needed to pull it across a terrain while simultaneously binding all chain components into a secure protective device that decreases consumption of vehicle tractive power and also conserves fuel.
My chain also provides a plurality of vents or voids that are arranged and separated by one or more chain links or rollers to maintain an open mesh or grid within my apparatus. This lighter and open structure readily vents blast forces generated underneath the military vehicle that are caused by mine or explosive device detonations. Thereby, tractive force requirements are reduced; potential mobility problems are minimized; and blast pressures, ejecta, and other debris will simply pass through my claimed structure. The consequent mobility, flexibility, and/or survivability of my apparatus are surprising in comparison to any previously used drag plate. Moreover, my roller link chain is considerably lighter than a drag plate, and it more effectively impairs EFP formations as compared to blast suppression of soil and debris.
My apparatus can be suitably dimensioned, as to length and width, for convenient deployment below the undercarriage of various types of modern military vehicles in such a manner to specifically afford ballistic protection to the crew compartment. This is accomplished when said chain is longitudinally extended parallel to the direction of travel, while transversely fitting between the propulsive means of the vehicle, and laterally extending manner below the crew compartment to be protected.
Since my invention is extremely light and flexible, it has an excellent conformance to the most contorted and undulating of ground surfaces that are encountered in military and peacekeeping operations. Thus, my EFP roller chain will always be in close contact with the traversed terrain.
Further, the features and advantages of my invention are highly effective as compared to any previous approach. The specific geometry and spatiality between the links and wheels of my roller chain reduce its chances of ever forming an EFP. While various chain segments or parts may conceivably become secondary projectiles, their maximum dimensions and possible lethality are generally limited to less than the link or wheel size. Thus, these explosively launched roller chain parts would prove a minimal hazard to a vehicle bottom that is already designed to withstand most explosive blasts.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide the art with an apparatus and method for ballistic protection of undercarriages of military vehicles. It is a separate object for these to be simple, reliable, and durable.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts upon a full reading of this specification and the appended claims which explain and define the aspects and principals of this invention.